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Program Accreditation

Dental Application
Frequently Asked Questions

The Dental Hygiene Program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association. ADA, 211 E. Chicago Ave. Chicago, Illinois 60611 (312-440-2500) American Dental Association Accreditation.

Associate in Science Degree in Dental Hygiene

Admission Process

1. Applicants who are new to Normandale must complete the Normandale general application form, include a $20 application fee and submit both to the Office of Admissions. Checks are made payable to Normandale Community College. Acceptance to the college does NOT imply acceptance to the Dental Hygiene Program. A SEPARATE Normandale Health Sciences Dental Hygiene Program application must be submitted to be considered for acceptance into the Dental Hygiene Program. 

2. A student must complete the minimum requirements outlined below to be considered as a qualified applicant. Admission to the dental hygiene program is competitive and it is to the student's advantage to apply with proven strength in science courses.

3. After application requirements are met. A separate Normandale Health Sciences Dental Hygiene Program application must be submitted to be considered for acceptance into the dental hygiene program. The completed application is to be submitted to the Health Science Enrollment Manager located in A2540 by December 31st of each year.

4. If the student earned credits in the fall semester. Official transcripts with these fall grades must be submitted to the Enrollment Manager by January 15th to complete the application.

5. All applicants will be notified of their application status for the dental hygiene program via US mail on or before April 30th of each year. 

6. Applicants who are not accepted into the dental hygiene program and have met the application requirements will be placed on an alternate list.  

7. Applicants who are placed on the alternate list, but were not accepted into the program, will need to meet all the requirements and reapply for admission into the program the following year.

Dental Hygiene Application Requirements:

Overall college GPA of 2.75 or higher is required. The requirements below must be completed before an application can be processed. A grade of C or higher is required in each course.

MATH 0700 or equivalent or higher
ENGC 1101 or equivalent
CHEM 1050 or equivalent
BIOL 1141 with a lab or equivalent
*BIOL 1142 with a lab or equivalent, or show registration for this course and complete during spring semester
BIOL 2204 This course is not an application requirement but students are encouraged to complete prior to submitting the application or complete during the first year of the program. 

*If an applicant is accepted into the dental hygiene program, final admission is contingent upon completion of the required BIOL 1142 course with a grade of C or higher.

For more details see Frequently Asked Questions link top left of this web page.

General Information

In addition to general fees and books, admitted dental hygiene students purchase uniforms, instruments, clinic supplies, software, and testbooks. Each student is required to purchase dental professional liability insurance which is included in course fees each fall. Students will be required to pay additional fees to take the National Board Exam, Central Regional Clinical Board Exam and State Jurisprudence examination during the spring semester of the second year of study.

Due to the nature of the dental hygiene profession, students will be participating in a learning environment that has the potential of exposure to blood borne pathogens. Students accepted into the program are provided with written policies and instruction on infection control protocol to reduce the risk of disease transmission. The program complies with all institutional, local, state and federal policies. Policies and procedures on the dental hygiene program's infection control protocol are available to applicants upon request. All students must complete the following prior to entry in fall semester of the first year of study and must be maintained throughout enrollment in the program.

Physical examination
Immunizations
Optical examination
Successful Background Study
HIPAA Training
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) for the health care provider

Students entering the Dental Hygiene program are expected to meet the Technical Standards for Entry-Level Dental Hygiene Programs. These technical standards are required abilities for effective performance in this MnSCU Dental Hygiene education program. The standards are compatible with the scope of practice as defined by the Minnesota Board of Dentistry.

Curriculum
Progression through the program is dependent upon a grade of "C" or above for each of the following courses.

General Education Requirements 38 credits

• BIOL 1141 Human Anatomy (4 credits)
• BIOL 1142 Human Physiology (4 credits)
• BIOL 2204 Microbiology (4 credits)
• CHEM 1050 Foundations of Organic and Biochemistry (3 credits)
• COMM 1111 Interpersonal Communication (3 credits)
• ENGC 1101 Freshman Composition (4 credits)
• HLTH 1107 Principles of Nutrition (3 credits)
• MATH 0700 Intermediate Algebra
• PSYC 1110 General Psychology (4 credits)
• SOC 1104 Intro to Sociology (3 credits)
• Electives (minimum of 6 credits)
• Choose two courses from two of the following (minimum of 3 credits each) MNTC goals: 4,6,7,8, 9 and 10. (Choose 2 different goal areas for each of these two courses.)

Students who are considering a bachelor's degree completion program are strongly encouraged to take two courses from two of the following MnTC Goals 4, 6, and 10 to fulfill the associate level degree if you are considering a bachelor degree completion program. Specifically MATH 1080 for Goal 4 and then any course that meets Goal 6 and/or Goal 10 will prevent duplicating credits. The course will transfer to Metropolitan State University and will meet bachelor degree completion requirements. For more information, please go to:  www.metrostate.edu/cnhs/. 

Specialized Career Program Requirements  (50 credits)

Note: Courses are web-supplemented and web-enhanced requiring computer and internet access

• DENH 1112 Oral and Facial Anatomy (3 credits)
• DENH 1139 Infection Control & Disease Prevention (1 credit)
• DENH 1140 Pre-Clinic Theory  (3 credits)
• DENH 1141 Pre-Clinic Skill Development  (4 credits)
• DENH 1142 Clinic 1 Theory  (2 credits)
• DENH 1143 Clinic 1  (4 credits)
• DENH 1150 Dental Radiology (4 credits) or DENH 1151 Accelerated Dental Radiology  (2 credits)
• DENH 1160 Dental Materials (2 credits) or DENH 1161 Accelerated Dental Materials  (1 credit)
• DENH 1162 Pharmacology for the Dental Hygienist  (2 credits)
• DENH 2240 Clinic 2 Theory  (2 credits)
• DENH 2241 Clinic 2  (6 credits)
• DENH 2242 Clinic 3 Theory  (2 credits)
• DENH 2243 Clinic 3  (6 credits)
• DENH 2252 Clinical Radiology 1  (1 credit)
• DENH 2254 Clinical Radiology 2  (1 credit)
• DENH 2263 Pain Management  (2 credits)
• DENH 2264 Periodontics  (2 credits)
• DENH 2266 General and Oral Pathology  (2 credits) DENH 2281 Preventive Concepts in Community Dental Health  (2 credits)

Curriculum

Sequence of Courses:

FIRST YEAR

FALL SEMESTER (13 credits)

• COMM 1111 (3 credits)
• DENH 1112 (3 credits)
• DENH 1140 (3 credits)
• DENH 1141 (4 credits)

SPRING SEMESTER  (18 credits)

•  BIOL 2204 (4 credits)
• DENH 1142 (2 credits)
• DENH 1143 (4 credits)
• DENH 1150 (4 credits)
• DENH 1160 (2 credits)
• DENH 1162 (2 credits)

SS I & II  (8 credits)

• PSYC 1110 (4 credits)
• Elective course/s (4 credits)

SECOND YEAR

FALL SEMESTER  (18 credits)

• DENH 2240 (2 credits)
• DENH 2241 (6 credits)
• DENH 2252 (1 credit)
• DENH 2263 (2 credits)
• DENH 2264 (2 credits)
• DENH 2266 (2 credits)
• HLTH 1107 (3 credits)

SPRING SEMESTER  (14 credits)

• DENH 2242 (2 credits)
• DENH 2243 (6 credits)
• DENH 2254 (1 credit)
• DENH 2281 (2 credits)
• SOC 1104 (3 credits)

Advanced Degree Opportunities

Metropolitan State University and Normandale Community College are offering three new and innovative advanced degree programs for dental hygienists. After completing an associate degree program, students can now obtain a baccalaureate certificate, or master's degree. The master's degree program provides the theoretical and applied skills needed for eligibility to be licensed as a dental therapist and credentialed as an advanced dental therapist in the State of Minnesota. Applicants to this master's degree program must be licensed Dental Hygienists and have a baccalaureate degree.

 For more information, please go to:  www.metrostate.edu/cnhs/. 

For information on program costs, financing, graduation rates, and other important information, see the Gainful Employment Disclosures page.

For course descriptions and additional program information visit the Normandale catalog online.

View common course outline information.

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